Children under two will be given anti-meningitis jab

A vaccine against meningitis that saves children from death and lifelong disability will be given to babies this autumn.

The Department of Health announced yesterday that a jab against pneumococcal meningitis will be included in routine immunisation from September 4.

Every child under the age of two will be offered the vaccine as part of a catch-up programme.

Normally babies will receive two jabs at two and four months, and a booster at 13 months.

Around 530 children under two develop severe pneumococcal disease in England and Wales each year, with 50 dying as a result.

Half of the survivors are left with permanent disabilities that can be as severe as brain damage, deafness, and cerebral palsy.

It is estimated the vaccine will save lives and spare at least 100 more children from suffering the devastating after-effects of the infection.

Denise Vaughan, chief executive of the Meningitis Research Foundation, said: 'We have been campaigning for many years for pneumococcal vaccine to be introduced into the programme.

We are absolutely delighted that within two months it will be offered to all infants and many young lives will be saved. However, not all forms of meningitis and septicaemia are vaccine-preventable, so the public needs to be aware of the symptoms of these disease.'

The Government's chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, said: 'Pneumococcal infection can cause very serious illness such as meningitis and pneumonia as well as being one of the most common bacterial causes of ear infections.

'Every child starting their routine immunisa-tions at two months of age will be offered the vaccine. We will also run a catch-up campaign which will mean that every child aged up to two years old will also be offered the vaccination from September until early next year.'

There have been concerns among parents that babies will be subject to 'vaccine overload', but the Department of Health says an infant's immune system can tolerate 'over 1,000 vaccines'.